When The Beatles burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s, they didn’t just top the charts—they redefined pop culture, inspiring the fanatical devotion that became known as Beatlemania. For a time, it seemed that no other band could rival The Beatles’ cultural dominance, though The Rolling Stones came close, eventually carving out their own place in rock history.
In the early days, The Beatles actually gave The Stones a boost by writing and lending them the track “I Wanna Be Your Man” for their second single. But it didn’t take long for the Stones to forge their own path, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards establishing a legendary songwriting partnership.
By the mid-1960s, The Stones had made waves internationally, with hits like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” topping charts worldwide, including in the U.S. and U.K. Still, The Beatles remained a powerful force throughout the decade, keeping a slight edge over their contemporaries. Reflecting on this era during The Beatles’ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Jagger noted, “We had a lot of rivalry in those early years, and a little bit of friction, but we always ended up friends.”
Despite any competition, admiration for The Beatles ran deep within The Stones. Jagger and Richards, in particular, appreciated the Fab Four’s impact, with Richards taking his enthusiasm to extremes.
In the documentary My Life as a Rolling Stone, Jagger recounted, “We were working the clubs in London, and the Beatles just came out and had a hit, ‘Love Me Do’. And we said, ‘Oh, man, what a great record!’” However, Richards’ constant replaying of Beatles records nearly drove Jagger mad. “Keith, he’d play the Beatles all the time. It would drive me absolutely batty!” Jagger remembered how Richards’ enthusiasm prompted him to pursue a poppier sound for The Stones, beyond their blues roots.
The Beatles’ early singles, especially “Love Me Do,” left a big impression on Jagger. “The Beatles suddenly explode … but we’re a blues band. The Beatles changed this whole thing,” he explained. “Keith wanted to write these pop songs because we were undeniably the blues band… we knew we had to be a pop band.”
In his Hall of Fame speech, Jagger elaborated on his reaction to the Beatles’ initial success, saying, “We were doing Chuck Berry songs and blues and things, and we thought that we were totally unique animals. And then we heard there was a group from Liverpool, and they had long hair, scruffy clothes,” he said, adding, “But they had a record contract. And they had a record on the charts, with a bluesy harmonica on it, called ‘Love Me Do.’ When I heard the combination of all these things, I was almost sick.”
While Jagger had a strong reaction to “Love Me Do,” Richards held a soft spot for another Beatles track, “Please Please Me,” from their debut album. Richards once admitted, “I’ve always told McCartney, ‘Please Please Me.’ I just love the chimes, and I was there at the time, and it was beautiful. Mind you, there’s plenty of others, but if I’ve got to pick one, ‘Please Please Me’…oh, yeah!”
The Beatles may have been the ones who inspired The Stones to venture beyond blues, but the resulting rivalry and admiration between the two bands would go on to shape rock music for decades.
